1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a relay for a defibrillator, having a support base on which are mounted a coil and a contacting unit with a contacting mechanism. The contacting unit, through excitation of the coil, can be actuated via an armature and at least one other mechanical intermediate element and has contacts that are supported on contact supports, which are separate, such as are not electrically connected to each other in the open state, and can be brought into contact with or moved away from each other through activation of the coil.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A relay of this kind is used, among other things, in defibrillators in order to deliver an electrical pulse from a high-voltage unit via electrodes to the body of a patient, as described in German Patent Reference DE 102 54 482 B4. For successful defibrillation, an exact synchronization of the impulse to detected signals of coronary activity is of critical importance. Delays on the order of magnitude of 10 to 15 ms, for example, which occur as the contacts are traveling through the movement paths and which are also due to the bouncing of the contacts, can have a very negative impact on the defibrillation effect. For example, an increased defibrillation energy can be required if the optimum timing is not achieved. In addition, relays often have significant quality differences and variations in the switching precision due to manufacturing tolerances.
Another electromagnetic relay is disclosed in German Patent Reference DE 28 27 650 C2. This relay has a first and second fixed contact that are stationary relative to the electromagnet and that are mounted on a contact support that is affixed in an insulating socket. In addition, a third fixed contact can be provided, which is affixed in the socket in a corresponding fashion. Furthermore, two U-shaped contact supports are provided, which have a first and second leg and, respectively, a third and fourth leg, with ends having contacts that can be brought into electrically conductive contact with the fixed contacts by a control mechanism or with a different switching, can be moved apart from each other in order to break the electrical connection. With two movable control mechanisms, the two legs of the same U-shaped, spring-elastic contact support with the contacts situated at their ends can be moved toward each other to achieve a disconnection from the associated fixed contacts or, with a movement of the two control mechanisms in the opposite direction due to their spring-elasticity, are moved apart from each other in order to produce a contact with the associated fixed contacts. Here, also, the movement paths of the contacts situated on the same contact support are relatively large, which can result in significant disadvantages in contact making.